Dissertation Research: Landscape Ecology of Snowshoe Hares

本研究测试栖息地异质性的影响，雪鞋野兔，关键猎物的许多针叶林食肉动物，包括加拿大猞猁的种群动态。流行假说呼吁栖息地的异质性和由此产生的源-汇动态来解释缺乏野兔人口周期在其南部范围（美国）。兽医超声波和无线电遥测技术将估计不同林分结构类型的出生率、存活率、迁入率和迁出率。这些估计将测试假设的人口动态异质景观。计算机模型将测试景观配置对不同生命率的相对重要性的影响。一项实验将测试由于商业化前的间伐而导致的野兔丰度的变化，这是森林生境中一种常见的造林干扰。这项研究将测试解释为什么某些动物种群从高密度到低密度循环的理论，这是生态学的一个中心问题。他们还将通知联邦，州和私人管理的森林栖息地，雪鞋野兔人口规模，加拿大猞猁人口的生存能力，是关注和本科生科学家提供研究培训。

This study tests for effects of habitat heterogeneity in population dynamics of snowshoe hares, critical prey for many coniferous forest carnivores, including Canada lynx. Prevalent hypotheses appeal to habitat heterogeneity and resulting source-sink dynamics to explain the lack of hare population cycles in their southern range (the contiguous U.S.A.). Veterinary ultrasound and radio-telemetry will estimate birth, survival, immigration and emigration rates in different forest stand structure types. These estimates will test hypotheses of population dynamics in heterogeneous landscapes. Computer models will test for influences of landscape configuration on the relative importance of different vital rates. An experiment will test for changes in hare abundance resulting from pre-commercial thinning, a common silvicultural perturbation in forest habitats. This study will test theories that explain why certain animal populations do or do not cycle from high to low density, a central question in ecology. They will also inform federal, state, and private management of forested habitats where snowshoe hare population size, and Canada lynx population viability, are of concern and provide research training for undergraduate student-scientists.